Overview
An honest portrait of Phillies baseball for the all-weather fan
Genuine fans take the best team moments with the less than great, and know that the games that are best forgotten make the good moments truly shine. This monumental book of the Philadelphia Phillies documents all the best moments and personalities in the history of the team, but also unmasks the regrettably awful and the unflinchingly ugly. In entertaining—and unsparing—fashion, this book sparkles with Phillies highlights and lowlights, from wonderful and wacky memories to the famous and infamous. Such moments include the rapturous season of the “Whiz Kids” and the magical 2008 run to the World Series, as well as the lows of the historically inept Phillies of the 1930s and the equally historic collapse of 1964. Whether providing fond memories, goose bumps, or laughs, this portrait of the team is sure to appeal to the fan who has been through it all.
Author Biography
Todd Zolecki writes for MLB.com and is formerly a writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, with a focus on Phillies coverage with both. Scott Franzke is a play-by-play broadcaster for the Philadelphia Phillies. He has been a broadcast host with the Texas Rangers and Kane County Cougars. He also covered the 2000 Olympics for Sporting News Radio. They both live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Press Releases
What fans don’t love to relive the good times of their favorite team? Likewise, in a twisted sort of way, what fans can really resist a self-pitying look back on some of those times that tested their allegiance? Those forgettable games, seasons, and plays that made the good times even better?
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Philadelphia Phillies by Todd Zolecki (foreword by Scott Franzke) presents all the best moments and personalities in the history of the Phillies. It also unmasks, but doesn’t revel in, the bad, the regrettably awful and the unflinchingly ugly.
In entertaining—and unsparing—fashion, this book sparkles with Phillies highlights, lowlights, wonderful and wacky memories, legends and goats, the famous and the infamous. You’ll enjoy tales about great players such as Tug McGraw, Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, and Brad Lidge, but you'll also hear how the blew the 1964 pennant as well as the ugliness of Mitch Williams and Joe Carter in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series.
The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Philadelphia Phillies includes the best and worst Phillies teams and players of all time, the most clutch performances and performers, the biggest choke jobs and chokers, great comebacks and blown leads, plus overrated and underrated Phillies players and coaches. There are Phillies you loved for all the right reasons, and those you couldn’t stand, sublime and embarrassing records, and trades, both savvy and savagely bad.
If you’re a through-thick-and-thin Phillies follower, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Philies is definitely for you. It will remind you of the good and great teams and bring a knowing smile about some of those other times, when you proved yourself to be a loyal fan. For everyone else, this warts-and-all portrait of the Phillies will provide countless fond memories, goose bumps, and laughs.
About the author:
Todd Zolecki covers the Phillies for MLB.com. Before he joined MLB.com in 2009, he worked at the Philadelphia Inquirer for nine years. He spent his final six years with the Inquirer covering the Phillies, which included the team’s World Series championship in 2008. He grew up in Milwaukee and graduated from the University of Minnesota but is happy to call Philadelphia home.
CONTACT: Natalie King, Triumph Books, 312-252-1252, n.king@triumphbooks.com
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